Post-event reading

Thank you to everyone for the very kind words and well wishes about T and me. We’ve returned to daily life, largely the same but just a little bit different, and very grateful.

It’s been lovely not to have a second job to turn to in the evenings and weekend. But, my goodness, have we been tired! So, briefly, some things I’ve read this week:

• I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. What a read. The structure (no chapters! no section breaks! just paragraphs!) keeps a sense of momentum that makes it hard to put down, but so too does your curiosity—what happened, what more will be revealed, what will I have left to grapple with by the end? It’s clear from early on that all the big questions will never be answered—and so you’re left to ponder what to make of a life with more questions than answers. Brilliant. (Sidenote: speaking of life and meaning, I find it telling that the women in the story take the most pleasure and satisfaction in constructing physical, tangible things.)
• Love this: teaching math by building boats. Doug Stowe has a walkthrough of his experience preparing for and teaching the class.
• Christopher Parsons on putting our activities (writing and photography, in this case) in a broader context. (Or: “doing photography” means much more than pressing the shutter.)
• Was tickled to learn that the federal public service’s pension plan has used the 2% * [salary figure] * [years of service up to 35] formula since 1870.

I have not read any of the many Annie Dillard tributes, and sit here ashamed in admitting I’ve never read Dillard. (Not really ashamed, because there’s so much to read and do in life, we’ll never do it all!) Will rectify both of those in times ahead, as the various snippets I’ve read of and about her this week suggest a way with prose well worth experiencing.

All the best for the week ahead!

Lucas